Chicago Bears: Does Hroniss Grasu have a place on the team?

Unless something unexpected happens, former third-round pick Hroniss Grasu has likely played in his last regular season game for the Chicago Bears.

It wasn’t too long ago when many thought that Hroniss Grasu would be the long-term solution at center for the Chicago Bears. Grasu, a third-round pick in 2015, was part of general manager Ryan Pace’s first draft class with the Bears. Grasu was a nice player at Oregon (a four-year starter) and already had a connection with Kyle Long (college teammates). However, Grasu has really struggled at the NFL level and his future with the Bears is in serious doubt.

In his first three years with the team, Grasu has only appeared in 14 games, starting 12 of them. His 2016 season was a complete wash after tearing his ACL during “Family Fest” at Soldier Field. Even before the injury, Grasu struggled. He routinely was out-muscled by defensive linemen and struggled with both run and pass blocking. His grade from Pro Football Focus Edge in 2015 (eight starts) was a miserable 51.9. In 2017 (four starts), Grasu’s grade dropped to 31.5.

Grasu’s contract expires after the 2018 season, and he’s likely not going to see a second one from the Bears. In fact, Grasu is not even guaranteed a roster spot this season. Since he only plays center, Grasu is facing an uphill climb to make the team.

Eric Kush, who is recovering from a torn hamstring, can play both guard and center, thus making him more valuable. Since only 46 players can be active on gameday, teams are looking for versatile players who can help at multiple positions. Unfortunately for Grasu, he doesn’t fit this job description.

The Bears will likely keep nine offensive linemen on the 53-man roster. The five starters — Charles Leno, James Daniels, Cody Whitehair, Kyle Long, and Bobby Massie — are near locks. Kush, Bradley Sowell, and last year’s fifth-round pick Jordan Morgan will likely make it as well. That leaves Grasu to battle Earl Watford, Matt McCants, and any other player who has a strong training camp/preseason for the last remaining spot.

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Grasu could be given the benefit of the doubt by Pace since he was a high draft pick, but regardless, it’ll probably take a pretty special training camp/preseason for Grasu to make the Bears roster. At this point, it seems like Grasu will be auditioning for the other 31 NFL teams.